A Just Reward
by bren97122
Summary: A short story detailing the beginnings of Corvo's secret romance with Empress Jessamine Kaldwin. I just felt that the game did not expand on their romance too much, considering she died in the first few minutes. I originally intended for this to be a one-shot, but decided to add a little more. Rated M for some sexual themes, although I'm not too sure how bad it is. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

The Empress had just averted death. While she was boarding a small boat to visit a Gristol frigate returning home from an expedition from Pandyssia, a dock worker pulled a knife from his belt and rushed her, babbling madly about how "the voices told her to die." Luckily, Corvo Attano just so happened to be at her side and dropped the attacker with a single pistol shot through his forehead. The Empress was lucky to have a man like Corvo watching her back. She had met Corvo when he was a lowly city watch trainee during the early days of her reign as she toured his home island of Serkonos, where she watched as he boxed three men twice his build at one time, knocking them all out without getting so much as a bruise on himself. After requesting his presence at her dinner later that night, she chose him to be her Royal Protector, something that Corvo saw to be a twist of fate in his favor.

After this assassination attempt, things were noticeably taut back at Dunwall Tower. All guards were placed on high alert for any possible follow up attacks and the Empress was accompanied by elite bodyguards the whole day wherever she went. Corvo was always among them, one hand always on his shiny, new dagger.

After her final meal for the night, she personally asked for Corvo to escort her to her bedchamber, citing that she trusted no one else with escorting her through a rather isolated area. Corvo, being a loyal man, did as he was told. They went up the darkened spiral staircase in total silence, Empress Jessamine leading the way while Corvo walked a slower pace behind her, on the lookout for any sort of crazed assassins that may be lurking around the next turn. Thankfully, there were none. Big surprise there...

When they reached her bedchamber, Corvo took his place at the doors to her room, hands behind his back and his back to her room as she got ready for bed. He stood there for almost half an hour, listening to the sounds of her bathing, dressing, and finally leaving her bathroom. Corvo turned to her. This was the first time he saw the Empress without her standard black shirt, pants and high, black boots. She wore a plain white nightgown and also had let her long black hair down over her shoulders, which was a refreshing appearance change from her signature done up hairdo. She seemed like a different person now.

"Will that be all, your Highness?" Corvo asked in a professional, clipped tone. The Empress nodded. "Yes, thank you Corvo." She said quietly. Corvo nodded curtly and said "Alright, your Highness. Good night. I will see you in the morning." As he turned to leave. The Empress suddenly said "Wait! Just come over here for a second." Corvo stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Yes?" He asked.

The Empress's eyes flickered. "I would just like to say... Thank you, Corvo. You must've saved my life about five times this month. I am very grateful that I met you and watched you demonstrate your very useful skill set. The Empire should thank you more often, Corvo. The things you do for me often go unrecognized."

Corvo was flattered, to be honest. The Empress, ruler of the whole Isles, congratulating him on an excellent job performance! If this was an omen of things to come, maybe he'd even get an extra apple for breakfast the next morning.

"Well, um, thank you, your Highness." He said, keeping his voice and manner as professional as possible. "No, Corvo, thank you. Don't think that it has gone unnoticed by me. I wish to... reward you for it." Corvo wondered what that could mean. "And what do you mean by that, your Highness?" he asked cautiously. She smiled at him flirtatiously. "I mean _this._" She suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips.

Corvo, who was absolutely stunned looked at her with wide eyes and tried to squirm out of her grasp. She wouldn't let go, and just kept going. When she did after nearly a minute, she broke contact with him, but still had her arms locked around him. Corvo was breathing heavily. "Your Highness, what—what _was _that?!" he said in a panicked tone. If someone had seen them...

The Empress, seemingly reading his mind, said "Don't worry, Corvo. I made it very clear that no one except those I specifically asked for are to be up here. And since you are the only I asked for... We got this whole floor to ourselves."

Corvo was still worried, not so much about security or privacy; he wasn't sure how to treat women properly in, well, more intimate situations. It wasn't like he was very used to it...

The Empress, once again displaying her newfound mind-reading ability, said "Corvo, just relax, alright? It's just you and me." She kissed him again. This time Corvo returned it, telling himself to not be apprehensive so much, just relax, like she said. They stood in the center of the room for a bit, kissing passionately, before he felt the Empress moving backwards and soon felt himself fall into her bed.

Corvo, realizing what was about to transpire, shot back up. "No, your Highness... We've gone too far already. You... Don't know what will happen if you do this any further." The Empress, in turn, began to unbutton the back of her nightgown. Corvo tried to get back up, but she pushed him down on his back and said "Don't go anywhere, Corvo. You've done more for me than anyone else." She let the nightgown fall off her shoulders and slide down off her body.

"You deserve a reward."


	2. Chapter 2

Corvo awoke the next morning, feeling the new sun on his face. He didn't open his eyes, though and kept his head buried in a pillow. He had the most marvelous dream the previous night. In it, the Empress herself had led him up to her bedchamber, hugged and kissed him, and slept with him. It _was_ just a dream, right? Corvo was getting ready to get out of bed and get ready for the day when he became aware of the deep breathing next to him. He turned and saw the Empress herself, still asleep. So it wasn't a dream then. He, 20 year old Corvo Attano, had slept with the young, beautiful, Empress of the Isles.

She woke up and grinned at him sleepily. She reached up and kissed him on the lips again. "Good morning, my Lord Protector." she said. Corvo kissed her back. "Did you sleep well, your Highness?" he asked. She nodded and said "You know, Corvo, there really is no reason to call me that when we're alone together, especially if you're sitting in my bed. Call me... Jessamine."

"If you insist, your Highness." he said. She smiled and said "I hope you enjoyed last night. I did for sure." Corvo had to smile at her question. He did enjoy himself after all. It was his "reward" as she put it. The Empress got up and went to her bathroom to wash up and find some clothes to put on. Corvo too got up and dressed kissing the Empress one last time to head downstairs to eat breakfast.

He tried to act nonchalant as he walked into the Guard's dining area. He suddenly realized that he needed a cover story, fast. Saying that he was busy sleeping with the Empress was not a very good one. He took his seat across from a fellow elite guard, Darius Vaughn. "Mornin' Corvo," he began. "Where were you last night? We were all ready to play cards with you again. You know what; Timmerman even bought this tall bottle of Gristol Hard Cider. Man you missed out, I did try to save you a glass... But, yeah, never mind. So where were you last night, doing the Empress?" he said with a chuckle.

Corvo started to make up a story. "The Empress had me patrol the floor around her bedchambers until 2'o clock in the morning. She's still on edge about the most recent assassination attempt." Darius nodded as he took a sip of milk. "If I was some royal, I would be too. Here, I saved you an extra apple." Well, there was Corvo's extra apple. "Eat it quick, we got to guard the Empress's royal ass as she heads to a conference with other leaders from the Isles. Important stuff, from what I hear. Better be on our toes. I just hope that one guy who tried to get her yesterday was acting alone."

Vaughn and Corvo waited outside the main entrance of Dunwall Tower, waiting for Jessamine to walk out for her meeting. The pair soon saw her descending down the stairs with a jaunty stride. Guards and other staff in her path quickly bowed and said "Good morning, your highness." As she nodded back to them and grinned. She stopped at either side of Corvo and Vaughn. "Good morning, Mr. Vaughn." She said. Vaughn bowed. "And a good morning to you, your Highness." She turned to Corvo. "Good morning, Lord Protector." She said with a flirtatious smile and a quick wink. Corvo bowed and said "Good morning, your Highness."She started to move forward motioning for Corvo and Vaughn to follow her out. Corvo quietly licked his lips as he briefly glanced down at her prominent backside. He suddenly found his position much more of a challenge after he found out what she looked like under those clothes.

After her nearly four hour long, mind numbingly boring meeting and the rest of her not so special day, Corvo found himself sitting at her side during dinner. More than one time during the meal, Corvo had felt her hand go into his under the table and hold it there for a while. Corvo began to wonder if what happened last night was a one night thing, or something else. The Empress had been giving him tender gazes all day when no one else was looking. After dinner, she got up and once again beckoned Corvo to escort her upstairs and told one of the guard captains that Corvo would patrol the floor alone for most of the night and that _no one _was to disturb her that night.

Once they were both out of earshot and the line of sight of the other Tower residents, the Empress took hold of his hand and leaned her head against his shoulder. "You know, something, Corvo?" she asked him. "What's that?" he replied. "I've been thinking a lot about marriage and heirs. An Empress or Emperor should always try to have a successor of their own bloodline. It's tradition after all, just like other nations across the world." Corvo faced her "And, what is it, Jessamine? What is that supposed to mean?" The Empress stopped and put her arms around his neck.

"Many of my advisors are trying to convince me to start finding a potential husband. Some nobleman from the Isles is best, they say. Or you could even start traveling abroad and search for a man in another country or region, unite the Isles and his homeland, they say. Politics, politics. That's the subject every day that they bring up every minute of every hour. I tire of it, Corvo. I wish to be with the man I want to love, the one I want to marry, the one I choose." She kissed him once more.

Corvo his hands on her sides. "And who is that man?" he asked quietly.

She ran a hand down his cheek. "_You_, Corvo. I wish to be with you."

"As do I." Corvo said. Jessamine let go of him and turned her back on him. "But I cannot marry my Lord Protector. I have done all my study into it. A relationship such as ours is forbidden, Corvo. I wish not for it to be that way, I want the whole Isles to know that Corvo Attano is the one who has stolen my heart."

Corvo walked behind her, wrapping his hands around her waist, planting a kiss on her cheek. "It's alright, Jessamine. There is no one who needs to know. Do not let anyone deter you." She turned around and kissed him, taking his hand and leading Corvo to her bedchamber. She first washed up and came out to Corvo, who sat down on her bed with Jessamine. They both lay down and held onto each other for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company for a few minutes. The Empress finally spoke turning to him and saying "Corvo... do you think you can give me an heir?" Corvo then said "Jessamine... what if you become pregnant and have a child, but you refuse to acknowledge the father?" Jessamine stood up on her knees. "It's no matter, Corvo. I am the Empress; I can find a reason." She then started to unbutton her shirt and pants and Corvo in turn blew out a set of candles on her nightstand and faced his one and only.


End file.
